Southwark News

• I still have some community places (£10 bargain!) for the Big Half. Send me an email to get the discount code lucyj@goodgym.org

• This weekend is Super Saturday! Come join us at Southwark parkrun for a 9am start and then come to a starter session to Surrey Docks Farm, leaving from Southwark park cafe at 10.20am. Not only all of this but we'll be celebrating Southwark's third birthday!

• Victoria turned 50 at the beginning of January and is now on 52 good deeds. That's a lot of good! Give her a cheer.

• Next week we're filling a skip at Southwark Tigers. It's a 6km run overall.

That's enough of the business

Last night 19 runners ran 5.5km overall to visit our friends at Crisis charity shop on Denmark Hill. We arrived at half seven on the dot. Anca was amazed at how many of us there were (great job!) and set up to work.

A big hello and welcome to Sharon, Frances, Aurelia and Sharon who joined us for the first time last night!

We split into two main groups:

• Visual merchandising - colour coding the display wall, arranging the jewellry displays, dressing a manequin

• Sorting donations - over the festive period Crisis were inundated with an amazing amount of donations. We sorted sellable form non-sellable and set out for recycling any toys or electrical items. There was also a team pricing books.

So many tasks to get done!

Team Donations sorted 64.4 lbs of non-sellable items for recycling. Solid work!

We got to work, finding all kinds of great items as we went, including a 'Wodent Wheel' which Dom commented

"Looks wheely valuable"

There was no way we'd get through all the fresh donations but we made a serious dent, Helena and Matt dressed a manequin as... of course... a runner! Great to have a GoodGym representative at the shop long-term!

Last but not least - places for Brighton Half and London Landmarks Half with the amazing Terence Higgins Trust at a special rate for GoodGymers

Terrence Higgins Trust is the leading and largest HIV and sexual health charity in the UK. We offer a range of services, from testing to counselling, fund life-changing research, and campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives free from prejudice and discrimination, and good sexual health is a right and reality for all.

• Brighton Half: Sunday 24th February - Discount reg fee £10 (from £25) - Minimum sponsorship £200 • London Landmarks Half: Sunday 24th March - Discount reg fee £10 (from £30) - Minimum sponsorship £350

We'll be there to support you every step of the way! Here's what to expect: a welcome pack, THT t-shirt, a personalised THT running vest, regular email updates with training and fundraising tips, on the day support to cheer you to the finish line, and an invite to our “#TeamTHT Thank You Party" later in the year.

If this is the perfect challenge for you, get in touch with Laura laura.stock@tht.org.uk

Great work team, see you next week!

7 runners went 4km and gave hope to a local charity's garden

Oh the rain!!!! We thought it was going to be a soggy one but good karma came our way and we had the only dry evening of the week, phew!

This week we had a shorter run, dashing over to the bright lights of Lansdowne to St Swithuns road where there is a fantastic housing charity, Hope Housing. An unassuming row of houses that offer homes to the homeless as well as support to get back into work/community life. Such an amazing service and we were so happy to be asked to help!

Our task was making their HUGE garden pretty again after the winter. The gang worked so hard, clearing veggie patches and turning over the soil for more planting in the spring.

Added bonus was finding food for dinner....potatoes, carrots and a few onions popped out of the ground as we worked. Stew anyone?!

Really hoping Hope Housing like our work when they see it in the day light today - felt like a big transformation: before and after Goodgymers. Always satisfying!

Once we'd packed up at the task we had a short run back downhill all the way. Warming down, we did pun brainstrorming - a lot of talk about carrots, winkie face!

Thanks all of you. See you next week!!

Meanwhile in Westminster 11 battle ready GoodGymers headed a Mile into heavy human traffic in a bid to help rhythms of life prepare there new space in Covent Garden for an upcoming fund raiser.

Wednesday's are always fun as I'm never quite sure what route to take through central London during rush hour, especially when it's raining.

Tonight I feel the decision was made for us as we watched commuters charge away from the now suspended Victoria line at Oxford Circus.

We weaved our way through the back streets arriving safely in Covent Garden where wee were welcome by Andrew, the founder of rhythms of life, a charity set up to help rough sleepers. Rhythms of life offer soup kitchens and supply those most in need with clothes to keep them warm in the winter.

Our job was to make their new office space a little more Manageable by arranging the clothing, chairs, books and most importantly re housing the mouse that appeared to take issue with us moving its furniture around.

As always we worked like our lives depended on it, 30 mins became 20, 20 became 10, 10 5 and we were out.

We said our goodbyes then took to the streets for a 2 mile tempo run follower by some head to head sprints guaranteed to get that blood pumping.

Thanks to all who came and conquered.

More pics to follow.

See you all next week.

Meanwhile in Westminster 16 brave souls headed deep in Northern Territory in a bid to deliver leaflets for St John's Hospices Summer Fayre .

St John’s Hospice is an independent charity located within the Hospital of St John’s and St Elizabeth in St John’s Wood and provides specialised palliative care to more than 3,000 terminally-ill patients and their families every year.

For the last 29 years they have been providing high quality hospice care, free of charge, to those living in and around Central and North West London. Their services are underpinned by a respect for human dignity and care for the physical, psychosocial, spiritual and emotional needs of the total person, whatever their age, lifestyle, culture and spiritual belief. Their patients face a range of conditions, including cancer, respiratory disease, heart failure and HIV.

Last year more than 78% of patients admitted to the Inpatient Unit came to St John’s with a cancer diagnosis including patients supported with leukaemia, lymphoma and blood related cancers.

After hearing about all the good work that the hospice does and how important it is to raise awareness and funds through events such as they're summer Fayre it was our pleasure to help.

After a quick briefing we headed out at steady pace and made our way down to Lisson Grove and St John's wood where we quickly popped the leaflets through letter boxes and a few out to passers by.

A quick stop at Abbey Road for a picture and then it was intervals alllllll the way back to base.

With 10k on the watch and the sun still shining I'd say it was a job well done.

As always, thank you all for your time, see you next week.